


Shigure's Grief

by Willow_Alchemist



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright Spoilers, He's a Good Boy, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, and i liked the idea too much to scrap it, and just shigure in general, but i started this before i played revelations, plus i love shigure and kana as siblings, wholesome sibling bonding, yes i'm aware corrin and azura are technically cousins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 10:17:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14952774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_Alchemist/pseuds/Willow_Alchemist
Summary: [HELLA BIRTHRIGHT SPOILERS]Shigure fulfills a promise to his mother, while his sister tries to deal with the emotions stemming from her death.





	Shigure's Grief

**Author's Note:**

> soooo this was inspired by Shigure and Azura' s A-Support, where she tells him to get rid of her pendant if she were to disappear. Knowing what happens at the end of Birthright, I thought I'd write Shigure fulfilling his promise to her.
> 
> I started writing this about a year and a half ago, but finally got around to finishing it, so you guys get to enjoy some nice feels with two of my favorite children

_ “You are the ocean’s gray waves, destined to seek _

_ Life beyond the shore, just out of reach… _

_ Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time _

_ The path is yours to climb...” _

Shigure’s melodious voice cut through the night air like a blade. Though his voice sounded as captivating as ever, he was still unsatisfied. No matter how much he sang his mother’s song, it just didn’t sound the same without her by his side, matching his notes with her own enchanting voice.

It had been almost a month since Azura had passed, the same time since the war with the Nohrians had ended. Peace had been restored to both kingdoms, and they now lived together in harmony, despite their previous rivalry. The entire land was bursting with happiness; everyone was grateful for a period of peace, free from the dark clutches of war.

Shigure was relieved too, as the constant fighting had been strenuous on everyone- especially his father, who always seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yet, Shigure still felt empty inside. He missed seeing his mother’s smiling face, or hearing her sing him to sleep, or feeling her warm embrace when the horrors of the war had consumed his thoughts.

But now, Shigure stood on a dock stretched over a shimmering lake, bright with the reflection of the full moon that floated above the sky. The sound of the waves echoed through the chilled night air. Shigure remembered his father telling him that it was at this very lake where he had first met his mother. Whenever he had visited the area, Shigure couldn’t help but feel a calm serenity ease his mind. He’d often come here to relax and get his mind off of things by painting the rippling waves or singing the songs his mother had taught him as a child.

But now, Shigure had come with a promise to fulfill.

When Azura had passed, her body had not been found. It was as if she had just dissolved into the night air - which, in fact, she did. The only thing left behind was the pendant she had always worn around her neck. 

It was his father who had bestowed the item upon Shigure, only days after the war had ended.

“Shigure, I want you to have this.” His father told him, opening his folded hands to reveal his late mother’s most prized possession.

“M-Mother’s pendant? But, how...?” Shigure stared at his father in shock, bewildered as to how his father could have found Azura’s pendant when not even a body was left of her.

“I discovered it as I was leaving Castle Krakenburg after the war. It was lying on the floor, right where she had...”

Shigure’s father trailed off, his eyes glossing over with tears. He took a breath, regaining his composure and placing the pendant into Shigure’s hands. “When I found it, I knew I had to give it to you.”

“To me? But, it’s all you…” Shigure couldn’t finish his sentence, as his own eyes were tearing up as well. It took all of Shigure’s strength to prevent himself from breaking down in front of his father.

“All I have left of her? Yes, I’ve thought about keeping it myself, but I felt that only you would know what she would have wanted to be done with it. And I have much more than this left of her. I have all of the wonderful memories I made with her, and so do you. Your mother was a kind, generous, and beautiful soul who gave her life so that we could all live in peace. We don’t need some silly pendant to remind ourselves of that.”

“You’re right.” Shigure looked down at the amulet in his hands. “Thank you, father. I know exactly what I need to do with this.”

Now, weeks later, Shigure stood at the lake, clutching that same amulet in his hands. Looking down at the shining keepsake of his mother, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of anger and regret. If only his mother would have let him take it instead, let him carry the burden in her place. Maybe then she’d be with him now, smiling at the sight of the realm’s newfound peace. 

But Shigure knew that Azura would never have let him do that to himself. She cared for him too deeply to allow him to harness the power held inside of it, and possibly destroy his own body in the process. 

_ This is what she wanted.  _ Shigure thought, sadness overwhelming him.  _ She knew that using her song would lead to her death- and yet, she still sang with confidence, all in order to achieve the peace she so dearly dreamed of. _

A single tear rolled down Shigure’s face. It had been so long since he had really cried. He had always tried to be strong and hold all of his despair inside, but the pain of losing Azura was just too much for him to bear. 

Shigure wiped his eyes, staining his sleeves with tears.  _ Now’s not the time to cry…  _ He told himself. _ I need to focus on what I came here to do. _

Looking out onto the water, his mother’s words rang in his ears.

_ “Sing with pride, Shigure. One day, when this war ends... I plan on throwing this pendant into a lake. It should sink to a place where no one will ever possibly find or use it again. If I should disappear for some reason... Please, get rid of it for me, Shigure.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “You’re the only one I can entrust with this important task.”  _

_ “Hm… Very well, you can count on me.” _

“Yes, you can count on me, mother.” Shigure said aloud, hoping that somehow, his mother could see him honoring his promise to her.

Closing his hand tightly around the pendant, Shigure took in a breath, closed his eyes, and cast it out with all of his strength.

There was a light  _ ‘splash!’  _ sound as the medallion connected with the water’s surface.

And just like that, it was gone. Sunk to the bottom of the lake, where no one would ever find it, just as his mother had wished.

“S-Shigure?”

Shigure’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. He whipped around, facing the forest that bordered the lake. “Who’s there?” He called out.

Shigure heard the sound of rustling leaves, and a small figure came out of the forest and into view.

“Brother?”

“K-Kana?” Shigure gasped, surprised to see that his sister had followed him. “What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing!” Kana huffed, approaching her brother. “It’s the middle of the night!”

Shigure shook his head. “Kana, you shouldn’t be here, it’s too dangerous for you!” He could only imagine what kind of peril his little sister could run into while alone at night. “You have to go back to the castle at once.”

“I can take care of myself, you know!” Kana pouted stubbornly, shoving her dragonstone into her brother’s face. “Have you forgotten I can turn into a dragon?” Shigure faintly heard her mumble something else under her breath, but it was too soft for him to pick up.

“You’re right, Kana. I’m sorry.” Shigure apologized. Though his sister was small, she had proved herself to be able several times during the war with her dragon power. Still, Shigure couldn’t help but worry for Kana when she went out alone, even if she did have her dragonstone with her. If she were to drop it, or have a brigand steal it... he didn’t want to think of what might happen.

“It’s okay, I know you’re just looking out for me.” She said, giving a small chuckle. “You always were such a worrywart.”

Shigure gave a weak smile, but it soon fell, his gaze shifting to the ground.

Kana noticed his subtle change of expression. “A-Are you thinking of Mama?” She asked solemnly.

Shigure met his sister’s eyes, which showed great pain. His own eyes shone the same way, strained with grief. “Yes.” He admitted. “I miss her.” 

“I do too…” 

The two siblings were silent for a moment, both not daring to speak another word for fear of bursting into tears. Shigure opened his mouth to provide comfort, but was stopped by a bone-crushing hug from his sister.

Kana held onto Shigure as if it were the last time she’d hug him. “I-I want Mama to come back!” She wailed, unable to prevent pools of tears from escaping her eyes.

Shigure as well was unable to prevent his vision from becoming cloudy as he looked upon his weeping sister. He hugged her back tightly, locking the two in an unbreakable bond. “I do too, Kana….” He whispered soothingly. “But I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Kana continued to sob into Shigure’s arms. He tried his hardest to muster up some reassuring words- something he could say to make his sister feel better, but nothing came to mind. He felt as if the only that that could make his sister happy again was if Azura were to appear before them at that very moment, but he knew that was just a fantasy. Azura was gone forever.

Neither spoke a word as Kana continued to cry and as Shigure tried to contain his emotions. He had to be strong now-- for Kana’s sake.

“S-Shigure?” Kana spoke up after a moment, releasing her arms and taking a step back, ending their embrace. “C-Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Kana.” He gave his sister a tender smile. “You can ask me anything.”

Kana looked Shigure in the eyes, tears still streaming down her once-bright cheeks. “How did Mama die?”

The question took Shigure by surprise. He was shocked silent for a few seconds, trying to process her words. Their father had been the only one to witness Azura’s death, but Shigure figured his father would have explained it to Kana like he did with himself.  _ Had Father not told her?  _ “Kana… I think it’s better if you have Father answer that for you.”

“That’s just it!” Kana cried, frustrated. “Papa won’t tell me! I’ve been asking him about Mama ever since the war ended, but every time he just tells me he’ll speak with me about it when I’m older!” Kana shut her eyes and looked away, which forced more tears to spill out. 

Shigure’s mouth was agape at Kana’s outbreak. “Kana, I…” He started, but couldn’t find the words to continue. 

Kana sniffled. “He always treats me like I’m a dumb kid… I know he wants the best for me, but…” Kana paused, holding her hands up to her face to dry her eyes. “But don’t I deserve to know what happened? I know you know what happened… Azura was my mother too, Shigure… I want to know why she’s not with us anymore…”

“Oh, Kana…” Shigure whispered softly, his heart breaking at his sister’s distress. He used a hand to wipe away her tears. “Come, let’s have a seat.”

He moved to the dock’s edge, sitting down with his legs dangling off the side, his feet just inches from the water’s surface below. He patted the spot next to him, beckoning his sister to join him.

Kana sat cross-legged beside her brother. She looked up at him expectantly, soft moonlight reflecting off her tear stains, causing her face to shine with a gentle glow.

Shigure took in a deep breath, running over what he wanted to say in his mind. “Kana, do you remember the necklace that Mother always wore?”

Kana thought for a moment, wondering what that had to do with the subject. “Yes,” she answered. “I always thought it was very pretty.”

“And you recall how Mother used her song to aid everyone during the war?” Shigure continued.

Kana nodded. “Yeah! I remember, this one time, during that battle with the faceless, I was feeling suuuper pooped after using my dragon form so much, like I was gonna pass out! But then Mama ran over to me, and she started singing, and I felt so much better! It was like magic!” She cracked a small smile at the fond memory of her mother.

“Well, you might not be far off...” Shigure commented. He knew mother’s pendant held great power, so perhaps the word “magic” wasn’t exactly inaccurate. Though, he didn’t think even the most potent magician could fully grasp how the its abilities functioned. 

And so, Shigure told his sister of the power hidden away in Azura’s pendant, only activated by her song, giving her the ability to bring the strength back to fallen troops and ward away evil. He explained that the more Azura used her song to aid them, the more it weakened her body.

Kana gasped as her brother finished, covering her mouth, eyes wide. “Y-You mean, that’s what…” She couldn’t find the words to continue.

Shigure nodded solemnly. “Yes. When she sang during our battle against King Garon, it must’ve been too much for her body to handle… and it caused her to disappear.”

“I see… I hope you don’t mind me asking, but…” Kana said meekly. “Did they ever find her pendant? I know that no body was found, but I figured, maybe...”

Shigure shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. It must have disappeared with her.” He lied. Though he felt guilty for it, Shigure figured that the less people who knew of the pendant’s whereabouts, the better. “But that’s probably a good thing. I’d hate to see it fall into the wrong hands.”

“Yeah… me too.” she whimpered. The emotional pain in her heart from the loss of her mother was so great that it felt as if someone had driven a dagger right into her chest. She stared down into the lake’s waters, watching the waves shift back and forth in the moonlight.

“You know…” she spoke up. “during the war, I waited so long for peace to come. I hated all the fighting and all the bloodshed… I’d often daydream about what we’d do when it was all over. There’d be a big celebration afterward, with lots of cake, and music, and dancing… and then we’d have a family picnic. We’d finally get to spend time together as a family. No war, no Deeprealms... just me, you, Mama, and Papa.”

“But, now the war’s over... I thought I’d be happy once we finally had peace… but how can I be happy when Mama’s gone?!” Despite her constant aversion to being treated like a kid, Kana couldn’t help but cry out like a child would.

Shigure put a comforting hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard, dear sister, but we mustn't despair, for Mother’s sake. She gave her life to end the war; for victory would not have been possible to achieve without her sacrifice. She would want us to be happy, she’d want us to laugh and smile and enjoy this time of peace, even if we must without her. She died so that we could be happy, so let us not allow her sacrifice to be in vain.” He offered his sister a warm smile, and Kana returned it.

“I never thought about it like that.” She beamed, though she still let out a faint sniffle. “I really needed that. Thank you, Shigure.”

“Anytime, sister.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Kana spoke again. “Brother, do you think we could sing together?”

“You mean a duet?” Shigure proposed. “If that’s what you’d like, I wouldn’t mind. What would you like to sing?”

Kana looked at him with a sly gaze. “I think you know which song I’m thinking of.”

Shigure nodded, understanding what his sister meant. “Alright, then that’s what we’ll sing.”

“And a one, and a two, and a three…”

_ “You are the ocean’s gray waves, destined to seek _

_ Life beyond the shore, just out of reach… _

_ Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time _

_ The path is yours to climb...” _

The two siblings sang side by side, harmonizing their voices together to create a beautiful performance had the ability to move even the coldest soul to tears.

For the first time since Azura had passed away, their mother’s song sounded whole again.


End file.
